Farewell to Intendant Märki: Cottbus Theater is breaking new ground!

Farewell to Intendant Märki: Cottbus Theater is breaking new ground!

After five years of intensive and creative work, Stephan Märki is saying goodbye today as director of the Cottbus State Theater. Under his leadership, which began with the 2020/2021 season, the theater has undergone a significant transformation. The last performance under his direction took place in the afternoon, an event that moved both the audience and the critics. Märki, 70 years old, has decided not to extend his expiring contract and sees it as an appropriate time to hand over the baton to his successor. In the next season, Hasko Weber will take over the management on an interim basis, before Berthold Schneider takes over the helm of this traditional house from summer 2026. [Tagesspiegel reports that ...](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/kulturszene-intendant-marki- Nimm-abschied-vom-staatstheater-cottbus-14017757.html)

In her speech, Culture Minister Manja Schüle (SPD) emphasized the central role of the State Theater for Cottbus, especially in view of the ongoing structural change in the city. After difficult times, the theater has managed to put itself back on the national theater map and to develop a new artistic identity. The increasing demand for high-quality culture shows that the Cottbus theater is once again popular.

The path of Märki

Stephan Märki looks back on an impressive career. Before his time in Cottbus, he worked, among other things, as director of the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam and as general director at the German National Theater in Weimar and Bern. His professional positions reflect his commitment to the theater landscape in Germany. Märki now plans to bring his experiences and creativity to a production of “Tristan and Isolde” at the National Opera in Seoul. This shows once again that his work will promote events and exchange beyond Cottbus.

The relevance of theaters is currently also evident in research. A recently published publication addresses the crisis of legitimacy of publicly supported theaters in Germany and sheds light on the changing expectations and perceptions of theater offerings in society. These questions are particularly important for institutions like the Cottbus State Theater, which have to continually adapt in order to do justice to the small but homogeneous target group. Uni Hildesheim reports that ...

Looking into the future

For the coming years, the Cottbus State Theater will remain an exciting place for artistic creation. The successful structural change initiated by Märki's management will have to be continued. It will be important to develop the right strategies to bring together the different expectations and needs of audiences and theater makers. In this way, the State Theater can continue to be a central point of contact for cultural experiences in the region. LR Online reports that ...